In January of 2006, in the midst of teenage depression, my son, Matthew tragically took his own life. Matt chose a permanent solution to a temporary problem, and with it, his limitless potential, and his warm, kind, genuine, loving soul were lost forever. Unfortunately, Matt’s passing does not represent an isolated or infrequent tragedy. Suicide plagues young adults everywhere, in every socio economic segment, and continues to be the third leading cause of death for those 15-24 years of age.

In an effort to turn this unspeakable tragedy into something positive, we formed with Matthew Silverman Memorial Foundation which is dedicated to combating teen suicide and promoting a candid dialogue about mental health. In this regard,  we have worked with and supported charities such at Teenline, Activeminds, Healgrief, and others. Indeed,  the suicide awareness video below was made for Teenline with the generous support of our Foundation’s donors and sponsors. The video is intentionally compelling; designed to have impact. It will hopefully save lives.

In partnership with Activeminds, we have recently sponsored in several  local LA high schools,  the program entitled “Send Silence Packing.”  This  involves a griping installation of 1100 backpacks throughout campus, each of which contains a short bio of a suicide victim.  This program also includes  an assembly program featuring a  compelling, and candid  talk by a trained mental health professional. (See the Send Silence Packing section infra). School officials as well as  many students have commented on the impactful nature of this Send Silence Packing program. We hope that this will just be the start of a much broader program of prevention and awareness for teens nationwide.

Our Foundation has also sponsored 4 Annual  Golf Classics. Over 140 golfers have participated each year.  Our goal has been to create an exceptional experience and at the same time raise significant sums to underwrite our awareness and prevention mandate and efforts. With the extraordinary support of so many friends and colleagues, and with the invaluable assistance of the Charity Angels, both of these goals have been exceeded each year.   All those who have attended have said that our tournaments are the very best, and have committed to attend every year!! (See the pictures and videos from the tournaments in the section infra, “Past Events”).

Our Foundation has also held two “Light of the Night” events, designed to reach a younger demographic, 21-35 years of age. Both nights were amazing-inspirational, informative, and emotionally griping.  The 250 or more attendees at each event had good fun and enjoyed the recognition we gave to Lukas Nelson, and Joan  and Melissa Rivers, for  their courage to speak out against the stigma still tragically attached to the subject of suicide. (See the pictures and video of these evenings, the section infra, “Past Events”).

With your help, our Foundation will continue to implement compelling programs,  support partner charities, and hold various events which are designed to both raise funds and awareness.  Thank you for helping us attempt to save lives.

Warmest regards,

Ron Silverman  

Matthew Silverman Memorial Video

This video is intentionally compelling; designed to have impact. It will hopefully help save lives.

If you would like to help us combat teen suicide and donate to the Matthew Silverman Memorial Foundation, please use the link below.

In Kind Donations

Matt Silverman Memorial Foundation is a recipient of a Google Ad Grants award. The Google Ad Grants program supports registered nonprofit organizations that share Google's philosophy of community service to help the world in areas such as science and technology, education, global public health, the environment, youth advocacy and the arts. Google Ad Grants is an in-kind advertising program that awards free online advertising to nonprofits via Google AdWords.

Contact

If you have any questions or comments regarding the foundation, donation, event, or website, please contact Candace via email or the form below.

Candace Yoder, Executive Director - candace@mattsfoundation.org

Matthew Silverman Memorial Foundation

324 S. Beverly Drive #411
Beverly Hills, CA 90212